people who have all the answers and people
who have sorted the world out between sheep
and goats. Much of the negative attitude toward
Congress and Beltway politics stems, I believe,
from weariness with political parties who are
always in campaign mode and thus seemingly
more interested in how an issue can be worked to
the advantage of one’s party rather than in how
problems can be solved for the good of the nation.
If my primary concern is promoting me and
mine, then any caricature of the other side becomes
legitimate. Truth gives way to spin and useful
half-truths. Democrats are godless socialists of
questionable patriotism. Republicans are heartless
oligarchs who want the surplus population to die
off. And on and on it goes. Frankly, political ads
make me glad that one sees few of them watching
Turner Classic Movies or college football, so I
escape lightly. Like many Americans, I try to
sift through the welter of charges and find some
reality on which to make voting decisions.
But what has all that got to do with a letter
from the president of Schreiner to SCENE readers?
For me, the connection comes in the way that
American higher education has been portrayed in
the media in recent months. You have seen the
charges: American colleges have fallen behind
the rest of the world…students graduate without
basic skills…colleges leave students in deep debt…
accreditors fail to keep colleges accountable…
American colleges are incapable of change.
Let me first say that I am convinced that
American higher education is at a crossroads

2 Fall 2010 SCENE

where academic outcomes, cost, accessibility and
adaptation to learning in the digital age all come
together to create a serious challenge (a topic I
touched on in last spring’s SCENE). Never has it
been more essential to review our goals, practices
and results than today. And we need honest
critics from outside and inside the academy.
We denigrate the seriousness of that challenge
when we latch on to simplistic answers and refuse
to appreciate the complexity of the issue. College debt
is a serious matter, and many for-profit institutions
in particular are rightly being called to account for
their recruiting practices. But those practices do not
reflect values by which the vast majority of colleges
operate. America faces a massive task in providing
college access to all who can benefit from it. In
fact, though many institutions across the country
are taking leadership in admitting and graduating
diverse student populations, other nations have
challenged America’s leadership in the percentage
of its youth with baccalaureate degrees. At the same
time, respect for American higher education remains
high. Online learning is a medium no college can
ignore, but it is not the answer for all. Defining
competencies for baccalaureate degree holders is
a legitimate subject for debate, but rigid standards
issued from Washington are not consistent with
the creativity and diversity essential to learning.
It really isn’t “just that simple” and the truth
lies beyond a campaign slogan. This edition of
SCENE offers stories of academic programs,
student experiences and individual outcomes
that capture the flavor of Schreiner University
and its values. Enjoy them! I hope that they
will remind you that we remain an institution
that combines a clear sense of purpose with a
commitment to continuous improvement. We
don’t have THE answer for everything any
more than we are THE college for everyone,
but we are passionate about the transformative
potential in our approach to higher education.

Tim Summerlin
President

contents

www.schreiner.edu
Fa l l 2 0 1 0

f e a t u r e s

d e p a r t m e n ts

4 Sudan Pastor Visits SU

4 campusnews
6 facultynews
19 mountaineersports
22 makingconnections

8 Celebrating Dr. Tim
Summerlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 Years
of Service
10 Lithuania in Photos
16 Integrity Ambassadors in
Business Program

“I am appealing to you to
ask the U.S. government to get
involved; to insist that they
stand for peace in the Sudan.
We need peace with justice.”
— Pastor John Tubuwa Golumo

Putting Peace on the Table
It is not unusual for Christians and Christian ministers
to talk about peace, but in America we usually are
talking about peace “out there” in the world. Pastor

John Tubuwa Golumo came to the U.S.—and to Schreiner—
to talk about peace of a more immediate and localized
kind. Pastor Golumo is from the northeastern African
nation of Sudan, where fighting between the northern
and southern parts of the country has been going on
for more than 20 years, bringing with it famine and
ethnic and tribal killing. The northern part of Sudan
is predominantly Muslin; the southern, Christian.
Golumo is a pastor with the Presbyterian Church
of Sudan, which has nine presbyteries in the country,
and is part of the peacemaking effort the church has
undertaken. When he spoke at Schreiner in October
as a guest of the University and Campus Ministry, he
explained that one of the major sources of contention
in the Sudan is oil, the largest deposits of which are
in the southern part of the country. Sudan exports 1
million barrels of oil a day, mostly to China and Japan.
“The Khartoum government in the north has been
taking the majority of the oil revenues, giving the south
only 26 percent,” he said. “Those revenues have been used
to buy guns for the fighting. They have been using our own
resources to kill our people. One evangelist was killed by an
unknown gunman on his way to minister in a local church.
Killing someone who is not a Muslim is not a crime.”

4 Fall 2010 SCENE

The conflict is reflected on a smaller but no less
lethal scale by the intertribal cattle raids that have
become endemic as food has become scarce. The
church is trying to bring about peace by meeting
with tribal and political leaders. One of its initiatives
was voluntary disarmament, which has been only
partially successful, according to Golumo.
“Not everyone disarmed,” he said. “Some are hiding
guns and weapons. Someone might have three guns and
only turn in one, and go on to use the other ones. The
Khartoum government wants intertribal fighting to continue
in the south. They want the world to believe that the
southern Sudanese cannot be trusted to govern themselves.”
In January 2011, southern Sudan will have a
referendum on whether to secede from the north
and become a separate country. Golumo said that to
date, there has been very little outside involvement
in Sudan’s problems or help from other countries.
“I am appealing to you,” he said to the group at
Schreiner, “to ask the U.S. government to get involved;
to insist that they stand for peace in the Sudan. We need
peace with justice.” For more information about U.S.
policy toward Sudan, go to www.state.gov/p/af/ci/su.
Photo: Pastor John Tubuwa Golumo speaks to Schreiner
students during his October visit to campus.

campusnews

Playhouses
& Forts
Schreiner staffers Stephanie Keller
and Elizabeth Loggie created a
playhouse design that was chosen
as one of eight in the “Playhouses
and Forts” exhibit that ran through
October 24 at the San Antonio
Botanical Garden. Loggie is volunteer

coordinator at Schreiner and Keller
is assistant art director of creative
services and responsible for the design
of SCENE magazine. Their playhouse
had a space dedicated to each of the
five senses that allowed children and
other visitors to explore each sense
through hands-on activities. According
to Keller, their children inspired the
design, by thinking about what the
world looks like to them. The
playhouse allowed visitors to create
music, observe the world through
recycled objects, explore soil layers
from bedrock to living plants and find
out what kind of forest creature he or
she might be.
“The playhouse idea just came
together seamlessly,” Keller said. “One
of the great things about working at
Schreiner is the high level of creativity
all over this campus. It was really fun
collaborating with Elizabeth and we’re
really proud of what we accomplished.”
Loggie agreed, saying, “This project
was truly a fun exercise in creativity.
We never dreamed we’d be selected but
found the entire process very rewarding.
Taking a project from concept to actual
build was amazing and we need to give
recognition to our faithful husbands
and children. It truly was a family affair,
like an old-time barn raising, but in our
case a playhouse.”

Schreiner Awarded Two Grants
Schreiner University received a $475,727 grant from the National Science
Foundation, which will allow Schreiner to make renovations to what is not
only a teaching lab in Moody Science Building, but also a site for ongoing
faculty and undergraduate research. The grant describes the renovation as

“facilitating the space’s use as an epicenter of research and research training in
an underserved region.” The grant proposal was a team effort among chemistry
faculty Dr. Kiley Miller, Danette Vines and Dr. Robert Holloway, as well as Beth
Bourland, Schreiner associate director of development for foundation relations.
“Schreiner University has continuously strived for excellence and quality
in education,” said Miller, who is heading up the project. “Through the
grant funds from the National Science Foundation, Schreiner will provide
another useful tool in the educational process. Some of the highlighted
research coming from Schreiner professors will be organic synthesis of
anti-HIV analogs, using analytical instrumentation to quantify vitamin E
in cosmetic products and analyzing mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters.
Hill Country residents support Schreiner indirectly through federal taxes.
I like to think that some of our Hill Country dollars are coming back
to us to support this pursuit of educational excellence and quality.”
“We are extremely pleased to be taking the chemistry program in a new
direction and to be providing some wonderful research opportunities for our
students,” Dr. Diana Comuzzie, dean of the Trull School of Sciences and
Mathematics and professor of biology at Schreiner, said. “This grant is the
product of several years’ worth of work and builds on work accomplished
under the support of the Welch Foundation. Some very exciting things are
happening at Schreiner University and this is one shining example.”
The University of Chicago Arete Initiative awarded Dr. Adam Feltz,
assistant professor of philosophy and interdisciplinary studies, a $200,000,
two-year grant for the project “The Heuristics of Virtue—Integrating Virtue
Ethics and the Science of Heuristics.” Feltz said his project addresses
questions such as “Why do we think Mother Theresa virtuous and Bernie
Madoff vicious? Can we educate our children to be more like Mother
Theresa and less like Bernie Madoff? Can we create environments that elicit
behaviors more like Mother Theresa’s and less like Bernie Madoff’s?”
The grant will allow Feltz to further develop the research he and his
students have been pursuing through Schreiner’s Behavioral Philosophy Lab.
“Both of these projects speak to the faculty’s commitment to make Schreiner
University a leader in designing high-impact educational environments that
cultivate student learning and excellence,” said Dr. Charlie McCormick,
Schreiner provost and vice president of academic affairs. “Both projects
increase the University’s capacity to engage undergraduate students in
undergraduate research, a pedagogical practice that has been shown to
positively impact student learning, motivation and sense-of-self.”

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 5

Faculty Spotlight

Improving Our
Home Environment
by Louise Kohl Leahy

Dr. Chris Distel is the newest
member of Schreiner’s biology
department, brought here to fill

a new assistant professor position
that was created to further the Life
Sciences signature program. Distel is an
environmental biologist. At least, “that’s
one label we can use,” he said. “I think
of myself as having a conservation

6 Fall 2010 SCENE

bent.” He will be implementing a
new field biology program, which
will emphasize the ecology and
conservation of the Hill Country.
“Dr. Distel brings an exciting
new perspective to the Life Sciences
signature program,” said Dr. Diana
Comuzzie, dean of the Trull School
of Sciences & Mathematics. “He is

an extremely engaging and interactive
lecturer, and his research interests
in the environmental effects on frog
and toad biology have important
implications for biodiversity in our
area. He has worked extensively with
undergraduates in his research, and
our students are going to really enjoy
becoming involved in his work.”
“An integral part of my job,
from my perspective,” Distel said,
“is involving students in research
in any capacity—on their own
projects, helping other students
or in my own research.”
The proposed new courses for
doing this are in field ecology,
conservation biology and rotating
vertebrate systematics courses,
such as mammalogy, ornithology,
herpetology and ichthyology.
“I want to get students out to
see the natural environment and
diversity of life in the Hill Country,”
Distel said. “I like working with
students and mentoring them. Our
ultimate goal with this program is
to graduate professional biologists.”
Distel received his doctorate from
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
He and his wife Sarah and their
two children moved to Kerrville
over the summer. He enjoys spending
time with his family and birding.
He performed in college theatre
all four of his undergraduate years
at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio.
Although he hasn’t been on a
community theater stage since 7th
grade, maybe we’ll be seeing him
at The Point Theatre or Playhouse
2000 sometime in the future.

Professor Adam Feltz, assistant
professor of philosophy and
IDST, had two papers published

the journal Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry.

in 2010 and presented three,
including one at the Experimental
Philosophy Workshop at the
University of Wroclaw, Poland.
He also was guest scholar
at the Max Planck Institute
for Adaptive Behavior and
Cognition in Berlin, Germany,
for 30 days this past summer.

Jay McCormack, visiting
assistant professor of business,

Dr. Robert Hunter, professor of
Spanish, presented a paper this

summer in Guadalajara, México,
at the American Association
of Teachers of Spanish and
Portuguese. He has presented
papers to the AATSP for the past
four years on Spanish literature as
it relates to those who are blind.
His 2010 paper was “The Blind
Clown and the Theme of the
Carnivalesque in works by Buero
Vallejo and Camilo José Cela.”
“Pesticide Has Asymmetric
Effects on Two Tadpole Species
across Density Gradient,”
co-authored by Dr. Chris Distel,
assistant professor of biology,

and Michelle Boone, has been
accepted for publication in

spoke at Wells Fargo’s Private
Banking University, San Francisco, in November. In a series of
workshops and presentations over
two days, McCormack explored
the challenges and opportunities
of “The Perfect Storm, Commercial Real Estate Analysis and Forecasts, 2000-2013” with the firm’s
top 18 wealth management bankers. He gave a similar presentation
to the same group in May 2009.
In July, Dr. Ronald L. Hatchett,
visiting professor and director
of Schreiner’s Center for
Global Studies, conducted a

symposium on the Middle East
for 150 high school social science
teachers at Rice University
in Houston. In August, Dr.
Hatchett gave a presentation on
“The War on Terror: The Good,
the Bad, the Ugly” to the San
Antonio World Affairs Council
at the Petroleum Club in

San Antonio. The presentation
was recorded and later broadcast
by KSTX public radio.
Dr. Kiley Miller, assistant
professor of chemistry, will

facultynews

Faculty Out and About

be presenting on the interaction
of audience response systems
and perceived performance in
general chemistry at the American
Chemical Society meeting in
New Orleans in December.
Schreiner University faculty
members Dr. Anne Berre,
instructor of political science,
Dr. Charles Salter, assistant
professor of business, and
Dr. Charles Torti, associate
professor of business in

collaboration with two senior
faculty members from Our
Lady of the Lake University,
concluded a two-year research
project with the publication
of “Virtual Communication,
Transformational Leadership,
and Implicit Leadership,” as
the lead article in the Journal
of Leadership Studies this
summer. An electronic version
of the article is online at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
doi/10.1002/jls.v4:2/issuetoc.

Texas Heritage Music Day Rocks
Texas Heritage Music Day (formerly
Texas Living History Day) 2010 was
a great success, with more than 50

performers and almost 1,500 attendees,
including students from area schools.
There were four special tributes, including the annual noon tribute to Jimmie
Rodgers attended by three of his greatgrandsons. A Texas Folklore Society
panel, at which four students presented
their research, drew 40 people.
The annual event is co-sponsored by
the Texas Heritage Music Foundation

and Schreiner University’s Center for
Innovative Learning, and takes place
on the Schreiner campus. This is the
event’s 14th year and its first under
the new name.
“As the THMF approaches a
25th anniversary in 2012, I was energized this year by the interaction
between students and presenters,” said
Dr. Kathleen Hudson, Schreiner professor of English and executive director of
the foundation. “I am thrilled to offer
another way of learning using stories

and songs, and Schreiner University is
the perfect partner for this endeavor,
which started as a small gleam in my
eyes in 1987. We have many community sponsors and volunteers, and that
alone keeps me excited about the future
of this event.”
For more information about
Schreiner and CIL, visit the website
at www.schreiner.edu. For more
information about Texas Heritage
Music Foundation, go to
www.texasheritagemusic.org.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 7

A Decade of Service

S

chreiner president Dr. Tim Summerlin has
been leading the University for a decade now.

In that time, he has brought many positive changes
not only to the campus, but also to the surrounding
community. Under his leadership, Schreiner has
experienced unprecedented growth, including a 35 percent
increase in enrollment since the beginning of his tenure.
Tom Currie, former pastor of First Presbyterian
Church in Kerrville and current president of Union
Seminary in Charlotte, N.C., headed the search
committee that hired Dr. Summerlin as president.
“Tim Summerlin has done nothing but good things
for Schreiner University ever since he arrived,” Currie
recently said. “Tim has distinguished himself as president.
He is a visionary leader who has a firm grasp of the
practical realities of educational life. Under his leadership
Schreiner University has flourished, reaching new levels
of service and success. As much as he has done for
Schreiner University, what he, and his wife, Mary Ellen,
have contributed to the community of Kerrville should
not be overlooked. They have enriched the quality of life
and faith in the community where they live and serve.”
Dr. Summerlin has overseen an expansion of SU’s

8 Fall 2010 SCENE

by Amy Armstrong

academic, residential and administrative facilities,
all of which have doubled in the past 10 years. In that
same time, SU’s economic impact on the Kerrville
and surrounding community has grown from $59.7
million to about $84 million. But his impact is not
felt only financially. His example and encouragement
of service to the community has led to hundreds
of Schreiner students, staff and faculty giving their
time, energy and resources to the Hill Country’s
nonprofit organizations and professional clubs.
“It has been my pleasure to watch Tim’s growth
and development as a leader for more than
two and a half decades, predating his arrival at
Schreiner,” said Bill Franklin, SU’s current board of
trustees chairman. “In my judgment, his contribution
to Schreiner is defined by more than the skills that he
brings to his work, substantial though they are. His
love for this institution and its history and mission is
apparent to everyone who meets him. His calm demeanor,
sharp mind and keen wit round out a profile of a very
effective leader. And above all else, it is obvious that he
clearly loves what he does. He has already made and will
continue to make a lasting mark on this university.”

8,327

Contactable alumni & former students
Percentage of student body
that is first-generation

his past summer Dr. Lydia Kualapai, associate professor of English at Schreiner,
volunteered for a semester of service teaching at LCC International University in
Klaipėda, Lithuania.

Lithuania

Lithuania
“A friend from grad school, Dr. Geri Henderson, got me interested in doing this,” Dr. Kualapai
said. “She started teaching internationally right after graduation and has taught in the Middle East
and Lithuania.”
Dr. Kualapai taught a course, “War in 20th Century Literature and Film” using “Full Metal Jacket”
and five international films, along with “a considerable amount of reading.” She will give a Chautauqua
lecture at Schreiner on the same topic in March.
Two Schreiner students also applied to LCC and were accepted for the summer program, Jessica
Roberts and Katie Stout.
“LCC University is the most affordable study abroad program in Europe,” Dr. Kualapai said. “The
exchange rate is favorable and all the classes are in English. It is not a new school, but the campus is new.
The tech aspects are on par with ours and textbooks are loaned through the university’s library. I also had
the best food I’ve had in a long time while I was there, and I’m not talking about fine dining, either.”
Dr. Kualapai spent a few days in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital and largest city, before returning to
the U.S.
“Vilnius was the Jewish intellectual center of Europe before World War II,” she said. “Prior to the
war, there were more than 100 temples and synagogues in Vilnius. Now there is one.” Vilnius boasts
one of the largest and best preserved old towns in Europe. “The old section is still the heart of the
city,” notes Dr. Kualapai. “It’s one of those places where people organize their lives by the ringing of the
church bells, not their digital watches.”
Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence in 1990. It borders the Baltic Sea,
Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Russian province Kaliningrad.

Ninth Fort, Kaunas, Lithuania
During World War II, 30,000
Jews were murdered at this
Nazi death camp. Jewish
prisoners would be marched
into enormous pits just outside
the fort and shot to death.
Nazi records document the
executions, noting that the
shootings would typically
begin in the morning and
continue throughout the day.
Following the war, Ninth
Fort was commandeered by
the Soviets as a prison and
execution place of Lithuanian
partisans.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 11

Kryzi킬 Kalnas (Hill of Crosses),
Siauliai, Lithuania. Dating from
the medieval period, the Hill
of Crosses remains a vibrant
experience for Christian pilgrims
and visitors from all over the
world. The crosses, numbering in
the hundreds of thousands, are
adorned with rosaries, personal
memorials and smaller crosses.

Schreiner University senior,
Jessica Roberts and former SU
student Katie Stout, enjoy a
chat with Molly Sroges from
the University of New Mexico.

12 Fall 2010 SCENE

Lithuania

The interior of the Russian
Orthodox Church of the Holy
Spirit, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Inside the Torat Hakodesh
Synagogue, Vilnius,
Lithuania.

LCC International University,
KlaipÄ&#x2014;da, Lithuania.
Established in 1991, LCC offers
bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree programs
in business administration,
English language and literature,
psychology and theology, and
a Masters of Arts degree in
Teaching English to Speakers
of Other Languages.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 13

14 Fall 2010 SCENE

choirtrip

Dr. Tim Summerlin (to the left and center) and his wife Mary Ellen Summerlin
surrounded by Schreiner students
during the recent choir trip.

Choir Trip
In May 2010, the Schreiner University
Choir went on a tour of Germany and Austria.
Thirty-one students, along with three
Schreiner faculty/staff and two community
members, visited Vienna, Salzburg, Mondsee,
Nuremburg and Munich, with the choir
performing along the way.
“We performed with local choirs
Cantissimo in Reutte and Studio Chor Wien
in Vienna,” said choir director Michael Kahl.
“We also sang in the famous Melk Abbey in
Salzburg and at the St. Michael Basilica in
Mondsee, where they filmed the marriage scene
in the motion picture ‘The Sound of Music.’”
The Schreiner choir is made up of
students from a number of disciplines,
including English, math, education,
communication, music, theatre, political
science and exercise science. They will be
performing a program of holiday music at
First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville on
December 5.
www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 15

The Business End of

Integrity

L

ast year, Schreiner University identified three
signature programs that have demonstrated
strength, value and the potential to make the
University stand out among its peer institutions. In

this issue, SCENE magazine takes a closer look at the
business department’s Integrity Ambassadors in Business
program. We will look at each of the other programs—
Graphic Design and Life Sciences—in future issues.
The Integrity Ambassadors in Business program,
which began this fall, is a new integrated approach to
exploring ethics that potentially impacts more than
400 students annually. Dr. Charles Torti, associate
professor of business, conceived of the IAB program.
“Our program is unique because students do not merely
study ethics as a stand-alone course,” Torti said. “Instead,
IAB is a four-year program that is integrated into seven
courses that are common to all business majors.”
Those taking courses in accounting, business, finance,
information systems management and marketing learn
through a series of online simulation games, threaded
discussions, formal lectures, ethics debates and other
class projects that integrity and achieving a solid bottom
line are complementary and not conflicting.
“Integrity is the congruence of your thoughts, words and
actions in daily application of business and societal values,”
Torti said. “We want students to realize that integrity and
achieving business goals are complementary. This program is
really about developing students into better decision makers.”

16 Fall 2010 SCENE

signatureprograms

The IAB program uses an assessment tool to help students
understand their own ethical viewpoints, and introduces them
to four ethical perspectives traditional to Western culture
through the philosophers who espoused them: rights and
responsibilities (Immanuel Kant), results (John Stuart
Mill), relationships (John Rawls) and virtue ethics (Alasdair
MacIntyre). These are the main ethical lenses through which
people view the world and one thrust of the IAB program
is to get students to recognize which lens they use and how
that affects their decision-making in business as well as in
other aspects of their lives. Students will learn to recognize
ethical dilemmas and potential threats to integrity.
“Once you know your perspective, you will need to
know if there are other things you need to look at before
making a decision—other options, other primary players
and secondary players, other stakeholders. We will look
closely at cases where there are no rules and how you make
decisions then,” Torti said. “Although there are lots of laws
and policies in business, there are frequently cases where
no rules or road maps exist, or they are unfamiliar.”
What makes the Schreiner program unique is the
integration of these issues with existing course material,
rather than teaching ethics as a stand-alone subject.
“The timing on a program like this is way overdue,”
Torti said. “We can’t be passive about integrity.
I’m optimistic that this kind of integrated ethics
curriculum will really help make a difference
and impact the lives of our students.”

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 17

Staff Spotlight

Making a Connection

K

aren Davis Kilgore has been associated with
Schreiner University most of her adult life and
she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Schreiner

is in my blood,” Kilgore said. “I have spent three quarters
of my adult life here. I see it getting stronger and better
every year, but there is still a whole lot of work out there
to be done.” To that end, Kilgore took on the position of
director of development earlier this year.
“I wasn’t looking for a different job, but I was asked to
come in and help out for a while,” Kilgore said of taking
on the acting director of development role in January.
Soon after arriving Kilgore felt there was “a lot of
work with my name on it and a lot of great people.”
Kilgore was named director in July. However, that is
hardly the only hat she wears at Schreiner. She has
been the University’s planned giving consultant since
1996 and shepherds the Schreiner Oaks Society. Her
journey at Schreiner began in December 1979.
“Christmas break 1979 was the first time I drove
through the gates and I felt a huge pull to be here,”
Kilgore said. Former SU president Dr. Sam Junkin hired
Kilgore as director of development and a few months later
she was promoted to vice president of advancement, a
position she held for 12 years before leaving to start her

18 Fall 2010 SCENE

by Amy Armstrong

own consulting company. Her first client was Schreiner.
“I never really left,” Kilgore said. “Just relocated.”
Reflecting on the changes she has witnessed to
the University over the years Kilgore said, “When
I began my career at Schreiner, the campus was not
computerized, so we turned a ledger page to record
gifts. The library was a fourth the size it is now.”
Kilgore said that while fundraising trends
may come and go Schreiner is never a hard
sell. “SU has a huge heart, vision and courage.”
Kilgore said that when the seeds she sows bear
fruit, it is a privilege and delight to witness.
“It is hugely fun to walk across campus and see
a building with someone’s name on it and know
that I had the privilege of knowing them and their
families. How many people get to do that?”
Lest you think all Kilgore does is work, she also
finds time to garden or “play in the dirt” as she
calls it. Kilgore is also an avid reader and likes to
sew—especially for her grandchildren. She said she
also enjoys the creative process of cooking.
“With sewing and cooking you can finish a
project. Development, on the other hand, is
something that takes years,” said Kilgore.

mountaineersports

S

”
From
Winning
Player to
Winning
Coach
by Louise Kohl Leahy

occer was the reason I came
to Schreiner,” said Abe Garcia
’07. “Coach Hayes got me

here. I looked at a couple of schools
and I really liked the atmosphere
and the people at Schreiner.”
Just three years after graduation,
Garcia, who majored in international
business, seems to have made soccer
a career. This is his second year as
head coach for women’s soccer at
Prairie View A&M. Nick Morrison
’09 is Coach Garcia’s new assistant.
“I was the interim coach first,” Garcia
said. “The school liked the progress
we made and offered me the head
coach job.” In 2009, Garcia took his
team to the Southwestern Athletic
Conference soccer tournament for
the first time in the team’s history,
where they advanced as far as the
finals. This year they finished second
in the conference. “The second year
making it to conference is a big
statement,” Garcia said. “We were
one game away from playing LSU.”

Garcia said that in the past the
team has not been able to compete
outside the conference. However, this
season started with two big preseason
wins, over the University of North
Texas and Lamar University, with
the win over North Texas “by far
the biggest,” according to Garcia.
And how’s that business
degree working out?
“I’m becoming a great salesman,”
Garcia said. “I’m learning to sell
the school when I’m recruiting and
speaking to people. I’m in charge
of my budget and manage my
players, so you can definitely say
that the business skills I learned
at Schreiner are very helpful.”
“I love Schreiner,” he added.
“The professors were all great
and helpful. I loved the Schreiner
atmosphere and the scenery. People
knew me as a person and not just
a number and I knew everyone
else, too. If I had it all to do over
again, I’d go to Schreiner.”

Schreiner is off to a 5-5 start in ASC West division action. It’s been a
bumpy ride so far in 2010 but that shouldn’t come as a surprise as more
than half of the team is comprised of newcomers. Still, SU has shown
flashes of tremendous potential with its young players. The highlight of the
season was when SU rallied from an 0-2 deficit at home to knock off ASC
West defending champ and 2010 preseason favorite Hardin-Simmons in five
sets. Senior Caitlin Gayle is leading the team in kills and attack percentage,
but there are a number of impressive newcomers at just about every
position on the floor.

The men’s cross-country program
is making great strides in 2010.
Led by juniors Ryan Maia and
Dionel Alves, the Mountaineers
were poised to make a good
showing at the ASC championships
in October. Juniors Tom Pappas
has shown rapid improvement and
Ryan’s older brother Michael is
returning to form to give Schreiner
its strongest team since the
program restarted in 2006.

Women’s Cross Country

For schedules and
the most up-to-date
athletic news, visit
Front row, left to right: Jules Poindexter, Genevieve Castillo, Ilse Ibarra, Alicea
Bonnema and Teresa Gaitan. Back row, left to right: Cara Pilgrim and head coach
Jerry Dyes.

The best news is that SU now has a true women’s cross country program. Senior Liz Calderon and junior Kathryn Adcock lead a group of seven
Schreiner runners, including four freshmen. The team is coming on quickly, but will need more time to develop. Still, the growth of the program is a
great thing to see and credit goes to new head coach Jerry Dyes.

SU has had a strong non-conference campaign by going 3-1-1 against scholarship teams. Despite losing their
American Southwest Conference opener, Schreiner rebounded with a 3-0-1 record and vaulted back into the top
half of the conference. Junior Taylor Bontz is the scoring leader with 5 goals, followed by junior Philip Anderson.
Unfortunately, Anderson was injured in the middle of the season and will be out possibly until late October. SU has
had strong defensive play, anchored by the goalkeeper attack of junior Matt Johnson and sophomore Tim Martinez.
A top six finish will get SU into the postseason tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years under head
coach Paul Hayes.

In his third season as head coach, Wayne Hinkley is starting to see his young program come of age.
The Mountaineers already have four wins, which is more than the team had in the first two seasons combined.
Considering the fact that the team only has one junior and no seniors on its roster, it is a program on the rise. Like the
men’s team, the Schreiner women rely on a stingy defense. All of the team’s wins this year have been by 2-1 scores,
and the first three were all come-from-behind contests in which SU scored the game-winner in the closing moments.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 21

Estate Tax Laws: Are we
Nailing Jelly to the Wall?
By Karen Davis Kilgore, planned giving advisor and director of development

That is what Alice
in Wonderland said
when she ate cake and her neck
starting growing. Pretty soon,
she couldn’t even see her feet.
That same refrain of amazement
is echoing throughout the land this
year as our nation is experiencing a
most curious predicament, indeed.

22 Fall 2010 SCENE

That is, our citizenry entered
2010 under the last provision of
The Economic Growth and Tax
Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.
This means that for this year only
(unless Congress hurries up and
passes new legislation), Americans
who die in 2010 will leave estates
that trigger no estate tax. This
is the first time since 1916 that
federal estate tax has lapsed.
Savvy Washington-watchers never
believed Congress would allow this
“zero estate tax year” to happen.
Every estate planning professional
in the country, I believe, was sure
that Congress would enact new tax
legislation before we reached 2010.
Instead, our elected officials were
consumed with debating health
care policy, as you remember, and it
apparently required all of their time.
Making things even more
curious and uncomfortable, it
appears that the increasingly
favorable estate tax treatment we
have enjoyed throughout the past
decade will disappear as we start

the new year. Few would have
predicted that we would regress
to the paltry 2001 levels of estate
tax protection ever again. But that
may be exactly what is happening.
Schreiner trustee and chairelect, Michael Pate ’71, is managing
partner of Bracewell Guiliani, LLP
in Washington, D.C. The Schreiner
alumnus has worked on tax policy
issues in the Capitol since 1980.
He often represents corporations,
partnerships, trade associations
and joint ventures before
Congress and federal agencies.
“The current political situation has
produced more uncertainty in the tax
area than I have seen in my tenure
in D.C.,” observes Pate. He adds
that November’s election results may
determine whether or not Congress
will consider estate tax legislation
in its lame-duck December session.
If no new legislation is enacted,
what can we expect? The 2001 law
stipulates that only $1,000,000
will be protected from estate tax;
the remainder will be taxed at the

1

55 percent rate—the highest rate we
have experienced in nine years.
So, how do thoughtful citizens
proceed in planning wise uses of
their estates? Pate says it is no time
to put our heads in the sand and
pretend we don’t have to think
about this important issue.
“While it is unclear whether
Congress returns us to the 2001
estate tax laws in 2011, it is time
for all of us to consider our own
estate plans. Many Americans
could discover they have taxable
estates, after years of thinking they
did not,” says Pate. “I encourage
you to consider creating charitable
partnerships to reduce the
potential of seeing your estates
reduced by higher taxes.”
In my position as planned giving
advisor for Schreiner, I have observed
a lot of our friends as they make
plans that conserve their assets for
their heirs and claim the “social
capital” portion of their estates
for their favorite charities (rather
than for Uncle Sam). They rely
upon estate planning attorneys
to help them construct bequest
language that is flexible enough to
reflect tax law modifications, even
if the law changes drastically.
At the same time, many of
our friends intend to create a
philanthropic legacy even if their
own estates are safe from taxation.
One trustee/alumnus told me this
recently: “I want my children to

Inventory and reassess
your property. Even with

the economic downturn, you
probably have assets—such as
your home—that are worth far
more than you paid for them.
Try to reach a realistic assessment
of your personal estate. When
our tax laws clarify, you will know
what this means for your family.

2

Keep your will up to date.
Time zooms by. You may

think you have a recent will
and then be shocked to take it
out and discover it is dated 1999.
I have seen an attorney review
a will and change one sentence
that saved the family $300,000!

3

Talk. Talk a lot. Talk to your
spouse, your parents, your
kids, your grandkids. Tell them
what things are important to you
and how you hope they will view
your life after you are no longer
here to guide and encourage
them. This conversation goes
much better if it is done before
a person is vulnerable.

4

If you have tax-deferred
retirement accounts

that these great savings devices
are not great wealth transfer
devices. A family inheriting an
IRA may see as much as 70%
of it eroded by deferred income
tax and estate tax. Ask your
professional advisors how you
can use these valuable assets
to maximum advantage. If you
want to include charities in your
estate, these plans are excellent
sources of funding because
gifts to charities do not trigger
the aforementioned taxes.

his wit and pithy observations,
Schreiner’s second president used
to say, “If you want to live forever,
put Schreiner in your will!”

(including company pension funds,
IRAs and others), remember

Karen Davis Kilgore is Schreiner’s
director of development and
planned giving advisor. You can
reach her at 830-792-7205 or
kkilgore@schreiner.edu.

understand that supporting
Schreiner or their own schools
is important. It is our job to
advance our society, even if we
don’t get tax breaks to do so.”
So, even in this uncertain
time, please allow me to
suggest tangible steps you
can take even while our

Congress is in estate tax limbo.
It is my privilege to help our
friends create estate plans that assist
Schreiner University and their
other favorite charities. I have
watched scores of our friends enjoy
happy and fulfilled lives because
they have planned generously for
others. It is medicine for the soul.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 23

Rocket Man
by Louise Kohl Leahy

W

hen Jerry Yencharis Jr. ’91 went to
work for NASA in 1992, you could say
he was going into the family business.

His father, Jerry Sr., was in charge of the maneuveranalysis section for the Apollo moon program.
Yencharis was born in League City, Texas, after
his parents moved there from Wilkes-Barre, Penn.,
when his dad went to work for NASA in 1964.
In time, he graduated from Clear Creek High School
in League City. But before he ended up at Schreiner,
he went to work for NASA right out of high school.
“When I graduated from high school, I decided I
wasn’t ready for college yet,” Yencharis said. “I started
working at NASA for a subcontractor called Barrios
Technology. Eight of us went through a five-month
course in orbital mechanics and space shuttle systems.
We generated trajectory products for shuttle flights.”
After three years with Barrios, Yencharis headed
to Schreiner College. He said what first interested
him about Schreiner was its size, although it was an
admission counselor who pretty much sealed the deal.
“My high school graduating class had more than
800 students,” Yencharis said. “I was looking for a
smaller college so I wouldn’t be just a number among
the student population. I had visited several places, but
when I met Chuck Tait (former admissions counselor)
and toured Schreiner, I knew it was the right place.
“With the small student population, I remember
the family atmosphere not only among the students,
but also the faculty and staff. Although there were
days that I didn’t exactly enjoy going to class, I almost
always enjoyed the interaction with the professors.”
Yencharis played on the men’s basketball team all four
years he was at Schreiner. In his senior year, his 3-point
field goal percentage was an impressive 56 percent.
“It was a great experience playing on the men’s
basketball team,” he said. “All the guys I played
with were such quality individuals, as were coach
Herbst and coach Jost. I remember being fortunate

24 Fall 2010 SCENE

enough to have Todd Prince as my roommate, and how
it was impossible not to laugh when he was around.
I still owe him for getting the rest of the basketball
team to throw me in the pool on my birthday.”
He has a lot of other good memories of his time at
Schreiner, including meeting his future wife here.
“Although my wife and I are now divorced, we are still
good friends,” he said. “She has been a very important
part of my life. I look back on our time together at
Schreiner very fondly and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I also remember simple things, such as walking from
Delaney Hall to class, and soaking in the atmosphere of
the campus and the surrounding hills. And I remember
graduation—walking into Dietert Auditorium and how the
professors lined up to greet us as we walked in. I specifically
remember Professor Emeritus (Boardman) Chambers
approaching me and saying, ‘Jerry, let me shake your hand.’”
After graduating from Schreiner College as a math
major, Yencharis joined Barrios again and began a
career in flight design and dynamics, specializing
in shuttle rendezvous operations. He now works in
shuttle mission control at Johnson Space Center.

formerstudent

“My official title is Rendezvous, Guidance and
Procedures Officer. That position specializes in the last
40 miles of a shuttle approach and dock to a target
vehicle, usually the International Space Station.
As part of our job, we need to know how to pilot
the shuttle to docking, so we go through the same
training the astronauts do for that phase of flight.
We attend the crew’s training sessions for flights
we are assigned to so we can get familiar with
them and discuss the techniques in detail.”
Now that the shuttle program is winding down,
he is making the transition to visiting vehicle officer.
“In this role, I will help coordinate and oversee
what happens when a manned or unmanned
spacecraft approaches the ISS. It’s similar to my
previous role, but it involves working with non-NASA
organizations, such as the Japanese Space Agency.”
Yencharis said that Schreiner had been
instrumental in his career in several ways.
“There were courses that concentrated on developing
skills such as critical thinking, which is extremely
important in my job. We have to scrutinize situations

thoroughly, both when developing techniques pre-flight
and also when assessing potential problems during
a flight. That’s important both for mission success
and to ensure the safety of the crew. The teamwork
aspect of my job is very important as well, since my
role calls for me to lead a team and also function as
a part of the larger flight control team. I developed
teamwork skills at Schreiner in several ways, including
being part of the basketball team. Each person has a
specific role and depends on the rest of the members
to fulfill their role. Plus good communication among
team members is necessary to reach a common
goal, another skill I developed at Schreiner.
“There are a lot of great things about the people
I met and experiences I had at Schreiner,” he added.
“I'll bet most Schreiner alumni feel the same.”

Photo: Jerry Yencharis at the
Rendezvous, Guidance and Procedures
Officer console during the STS-131
mission in April 2010.

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 25

class notes
We’re the two people in the very
back of the raft.”
John Prendergast ’62 graduated
from high school at Schreiner. He
is currently living in Slidell, La.,
where he is president of Mid-Gulf
Instruments, and hopes to retire
this year. “I am glad to see
Schreiner’s thriving!”

1950s

1960s

Gene Marshall
’52 was
honored
as a
distinguished
alumnus of
Sam Houston
State University. He graduated from
Sam Houston State in 1964 with a
bachelor’s degree.

Dale Blount ’61 wrote, “Next year
will be the big 50th anniversary
for my class. Doubt if I will make
Recall 2011, but send my best to
all from that class. I’m retired,
living at 6,300 feet in the White
Mountains of east central Arizona
in a town named Show Low. It is
beautiful country with four full
seasons. We love it, although our
grandkids aren’t close enough.
Before retirement, I worked in
the Dallas area for a few years in
microwave manufacturing, then
modular housing, met my wife
Val, moved around a bit, landed
back in Kerrville with Mooney
Aircraft, then onto Piper Aircraft
in Lakeland, Florida. Moved to
Arizona in 1984 and spent 25 plus
years in the greater Phoenix area
doing some really interesting things
with some exotic aerospace things.
So one would say that I spent my
career in manufacturing, mostly
aircraft/aerospace after graduating
from the University of Texas in
1966. Don’t get back to Kerrville
much any more, even though it’s
my hometown.”

Gayle R. Avant ’59 recently retired
from teaching political science at
Baylor University and spent the
month of July helping Chinese
public school English teachers
improve their language skills.
After teaching in China, Avant
attended the Baptist World
Congress in Honolulu.
Charles H. Morris ’52 has been
doing a lot of preaching and
leading worship services this
summer in congregations near his
home in Missouri. He recently won
a contest for artwork sponsored by
the diocesan news magazine, Seek.
A copy is in Schreiner University’s
William Logan Library. His painting
is on page eight in the June/July
issue. He and Janet now have three
grandchildren in college, one a
senior at Duke, among their seven.
They are both active in their church
and outside interests with Charles
still playing tennis three times
a week.

26 Fall 2010 SCENE

John Boyd
’62 wrote,
“Kathleen
and I are just
returning from
a trip to Alaska
and Canada.

Bill Servis ’63 writes that he and
his family just finished their
volunteer work at Bandelier National
Monument, Los Alamos, N.M. They
left Texas for Branson, Mo., Aug.
3, then on to Goshen, Ind., for an
Escapees RV Ralley in September.
After that they headed to Fayette,
Ohio, for a Sunnybrook RV Rally in
October. “We’re beginning our 4th
year on the road.”

1980s
Ronnie Jean (Fryar) Burnham ’84
and her 14-year-old daughter
recently moved from Austin, Texas,
to the Bucks County area outside of
Philadelphia, Pa. “I have worked for
Kellogg’s for six years and this
is my third promotion, now to the
east coast. The area is beautiful
and the people are surprisingly
warm. I had not previously traveled
or visited this area of the country.
Every day is a new adventure
and we love all the history. I am
especially proud of my daughter
who is transitioning beautifully.”
Cliff Wiese ’88 has returned from
living in Latin America and settled
in Houston. “I recently accepted
a position managing a group
of personal trainers for LifeTime
Fitness. Also, I am in the process

classnotes

of making two fitness-oriented
DVDs for a company called
Suarez International out of
Arizona. I hope all is well in
Kerrville!”

1990s
Mary (Reyes)
Bascues ’99
and her family
visited the SU
campus after
their vacation
trip to SeaWorld
in San Antonio. “Unfortunately, we
were short on time, so we didn’t
get a chance to visit with anybody.
We did, however, make a quick
stop by the bookstore and loaded
up on Schreiner shirts and caps.
I’m amazed at how much has been
added to the campus! I took the
picture of my four kids at SeaWorld.
Pictured from left to right are
Joaquin (6 months), Luis (7 years
old), Alejandro (2 years old) and
Gabriela (5 years old). Joaquin was
born prematurely February 11 but
you can’t tell by looking at him now.
My husband and I feel very blessed
to have four wonderful children who
keep us going every day. I’m hoping
that my family and I will be able to
make Recall next year. Thanks for
all you do!”
Colin Campbell
’99 sent in a
picture of
“three former
Schreiner
students
reuniting in
the classroom. From left to right:
captain James Cook, instructor
with 3rd Coast Captains, Clayton

Campbell, Colin Campbell and
Jason May, all class of 1999. “The
three of us completed our OUPV
licenses and are certified captains,
taking guided fishing trips in South
Texas.”
John Peterson ’91 and Kristi (Fryar)
Peterson ’92 are living in Stanton,
Texas, with their three children,
Amber, 14; Alyssa, 11; and Ryan,
6. John is the athletic director and
head football coach at class 2A
Stanton High School, where
Kristi also coaches and teaches.
Evelyn Reavis ’93 writes, “It’s
hard to believe that it has already
been so long since I graduated
from Schreiner. Often I drive
through the college and I am
amazed at all of the changes.
I have put my education to good
use as a chemical dependency
counselor. I have been counseling
for about 12 years now. I have
worked in treatment facilities
with parolees and probationers
for about five years. For the
past seven years I have worked
in treatment facilities through
adult probation. I currently work
with the 38th Judicial District
Community Corrections Facility
in Uvalde, Texas. The work I
do is never boring and at times
challenging. After living in Corpus
Christi and Santa Fe, N.M., I have
returned to the area that I grew
up in. It’s great to be back in the
Hill Country. I have plans
to return to college and to do a
little traveling. Thanks again to
Dr. David Byrne, Dr. Kathleen
Hudson and Harry Heiser for all
they did to help me back then.
I’m now using what they taught
me to help others.”

Chris Sanchez
’99 and his wife
Christina are
doing very well
and living in
Austin. They
just celebrated
their daughter’s second birthday.
“I hope all is well at Schreiner.”
Sam Snoek ’99 and Jennifer
Snoek-Brown have been living
in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab
Emirates, for the past two years.
Jennifer is an assistant professor
and librarian at Zayed University,
and Sam has been teaching part
time and writing full time. (Sam has
published a few stories and placed in
a couple of contests; he’s currently
working on a story collection and a
novel.) In their spare time, they’ve
done a little traveling in Europe and
around the United Arab Emirates.
Their cats, Ibsen and Bronte, spend
most of their days asleep in the
bright Arabian sunshine.

2000s
Cindy Becker ’06 is back at
Schreiner. “Fall 2010 has been
exciting at the Becker house. I was
recently hired as the administrative
assistant to the president of
Schreiner University, Dr. Tim
Summerlin. This comes on the heels
of my daughter, Michelle, entering
Schreiner’s freshman class. Mike,
my husband, is still cancer-free and
ready to contemplate a part-time
job. God’s blessings have
been abundant.”
Kenneth Bethune ’05 passed the
Oklahoma bar exam and will be

www.schreiner.edu Fall 2010 27

opening his own law office in the
near future. He is also in his second
year as head volleyball coach
at Mount St. Mary High School in
Oklahoma City.
Susan Burger ’09 started her
first teaching job at The School of
Science and Technology-Alamo in
August. “I teach physical education
and serve as athletic director as
well as coaching soccer and
basketball. In my spare time,
I’m playing indoor soccer in a
co-ed league in San Antonio.”
Billy Fletcher attended Schreiner
University from 2002-2004 as
a math major, thanks to one of
his favorite teachers, Dr. Stefan
Mecay. He graduated from
Purdue University with a B.A. in
anthropology and plans to start
teaching this coming semester in
Copperas Cove, Texas, Independent
School District. “My wife Amy
and I were blessed on Oct. 10,
2008, with a bouncing baby boy,
Dennis. Even though his nickname
‘Dennis the Menace’ fits him well,
we are definitely blessed to have
him. We are also blessed with a
daughter named Ashlee, our eldest
child, who helps us with Dennis
whenever she can. This year Ashlee
married her long-time fiancé John.
Ashlee and John have two sons,
my grandsons, Travis and Gunnar.
Travis is 10 and will be going into
the fifth grade, while Gunnar is 5
and will be going into kindergarten.
Amy, Ashlee, John, Travis, Gunnar,
my nephew Jeremy, who has
just joined the Army, David, our
good friend who might as well be
family, and I all live in the same
six-bedroom, two-bath house in
Copperas Cove, Texas. Many people

28 Fall 2010 SCENE

ask how we can live together like
that, but it just works for us and
we are very happy.”
Kyla Fussell
’09 wrote,
“In August
I moved to
Modesto, Calif.,
on a whim to
help out my
sister and her husband. They have
a 3-year-old son, Hayes, and were
expecting another baby boy. I’m
glad I moved early because Dane
graced us with his presence six
weeks early! He is a happy and
healthy baby and now I just help out
with baby duties and search for a
job. I’m not sure yet if this move will
be permanent, but so far I love it!
How could I not with two precious
nephews?”
Abe Garcia ’07
and Patsy
Toman-Garcia
’09 were
married
on July 25,
2009. They
currently live in League City, Texas.
Abe is the head soccer coach at
Prairie View A&M University and is
in the middle of his third season.
Patsy is attending UTMB-Galveston,
where she is entering her second
year of training in physical therapy.
Reginald
“Reggie”
Huggins ’03
married
Rhona Stacie
Howg July 24
in Harker
Heights, Texas. Reggie is an
assistant principal at Killeen High

School and Rhona is a special
education teacher at Haybranch
Elementary School in Killeen, Texas.
Schreiner former students in the
wedding party were Chris Borak ’03
and Clarence Stewart ’00.
Spencer Key ’09 wrote to give
us “my life in a nutshell. I’ve spent
the eight months since graduation
teaching English courses at Coastal
Bend College, and I’m moving
to Lubbock to begin my master’s
program in romance languages
with a concentration on Spanish
language and linguistics at Texas
Tech University. My plans are to
obtain a teaching assistant position
for the spring semester into the
summer, and I hope to teach
courses to undergraduates at the
TTU campuses in either Mexico
or Spain.”
Matt Martinez
’06 and
Cassie Saunders ’06 were
married
September 5,
2009. They
currently live back in their hometown of Devine. Matt is a tax
accountant at NuStar Energy in
San Antonio and Cassie is currently
a third grade teacher in Devine.
David Peeples ’04 is busy working in
retail at a bookstore and hoping to
become a college or private school
teacher someday.
Joshua Smith ’01 and his wife
Jennifer adopted their son Jase
in March. Josh and Jen live in
Lufkin, Texas, where Josh is a
public school finance consultant
and partner of Administrative

classnotes

Consulting, and Jen is a full-time
mother.
Miranda Trussell ’02 has accepted
a position at First Presbyterian
Church of Mexico, Mo., as associate
pastor of Christian education. She
was ordained as a minister of word
and sacrament in the Presbyterian
Church (USA) in June at Canyon
Creek Presbyterian Church in
Richardson, Texas.
Heather (Kelly) Willson ’03 recently
was made department manager at
her new school, Centennial High
School, in the Burleson, Texas, ISD.
She returns to teaching AP world
history and plans to continue
coaching teams and volunteering her
efforts for the district’s FFA chapter.
Mary Wingo ’07 married Jamieson
McCaffity in Austin in July.
Craig Yaros ’02 wrote to say, “Good
luck to all of the staff, teachers &
students with the fall semester
beginning at Schreiner University.
I am on Facebook. Keeping busy
with the Knights of Columbus;
became a 4th degree Sir Knight in
June. Still looking for a job while
working at my dad’s office. I’ve
been dating a nice girl. Nothing
beyond that to report at this time.
Hope that fall 2010 will be especially
great for Schreiner.”
Jarrett Aldrich
’04 writes,
“I still teach
English during
the day at East
Central High
School, and
composition in the evenings at
St. Philip’s College, both in

San Antonio. I took the summer
off and drove to Eastern Canada
and Nova Scotia. I camped and
explored the national forests. On
a separate note, I decided last year
to pursue my dream of serving our
country in the military. I applied
for the Navy Supply Corps. It was
an extremely competitive field of
applicants and I was elated to be
selected. In January, I took my oath
to be commissioned as an officer in
the U.S. Navy Reserve. The Reserve
will allow me to continue teaching
while I serve. I squeezed into my
uniform and the Navy shipped me
off for training in Rhode Island. I
absolutely love having a role in the
country’s defense. What a different
and exciting world! I can hardly
wait until I am called overseas.
Until then, I’ll continue to serve
in the frenzied environs of my
English classroom. Pics and
stories can still be found on
my website: JarrettAldrich.com.
I hope everyone at Schreiner is
doing well!”
Kiley Miller Ph.D. ’00 tells us “The
Miller Crew—Kiley, Tish, Phoenix,
Bhodey and Dylan—continue to
enjoy the Hill Country since moving
back in June 2006 from Piscataway,
NJ. Dylan is the only child at home
this year, but he enjoys running
around the house making mischief
without sister and brother to stop
him. Phoenix and Bhodey are in
second and kinder, respectively, at
Tom Daniels Elementary and having
a great time with both reading and
playing on the playground. Tish
is going on her fourth year with
Baptist Child and Family Services
as the assistant to the executive
director. Don’t let the title fool you;
he manages many and when she

says ‘jump’ the others say ‘how
high.’ I am progressing towards
tenure at Schreiner University as
assistant professor in chemistry
and as of 2011, chair of the science
department. One or two significant
items of note: 1) Schreiner received
$475,727 in funding from the
National Science Foundation
to renovate Moody 202 the old
chemistry lab; 2) I will be presenting
at the American Chemical Society
Meeting in New Orleans in early
December on the interaction of
audience response systems and
perceived performance in general
chemistry.”

Survey
Thank you to all of our readers
who took the time to fill out
the spring SCENE survey. Your
thoughts and opinions about this
publication are valuable to us.
Please contact anarmstrong@
schreiner.edu with additional
questions or comments.

Correction
It was incorrectly reported in
the spring 2008 SCENE Magazine
that David O. VanBerg had
passed away. As his daughter,
Ann VanBerg-Sanchez, shared
with us, Mr. VanBerg is, “quite alive
and not anywhere close to giving
up his fair share of air on this fine
green Earth.” We regret this error.

onlinegiving
Supporting Schreiner University
is easier than ever now. Please
visit our online giving website at
www.schreiner.edu/giving, where
you can make a secure gift—
one that will benefit Schreiner
students for years to come—in
a matter of seconds. If you have
questions, contact Karen Kilgore,
director of development, at
kkilgore@schreiner.edu or call
830-792-7205.

roundup

Start planning for

RECALL

Spend the weekend of April 15-17 at your old stomping grounds.
• Visit with old and new friends.

save a tree
We are committed to
keeping you informed
about Schreiner’s people
and programs while being
a good steward of the
University’s resources.
To that end, we ask that
you help by sending us
your e-mail address so
that we can spend less
on paper, printing and
postage. Please indicate
whether you would like to
receive SCENE or Inside
Schreiner online. Just
e-mail scene@schreiner.
edu. Thank you.

Starting a New Tradition
Schreiner students show their Mountaineer
spirit by dipping their hands in maroon paint
during freshman orientation.

34 Fall 2010 SCENE

backpage

bassadors
Integrity Am
ram
in Business Prog

SCENEMagazine
editor

Amy Armstrong
director of university relations

contributing writers

Louise Kohl Leahy
staff writer

Karen Davis Kilgore
planned giving advisor and
director of development

art direction and design

Stephanie Lopez Keller
assistant art director of creative services

sports

Temaine Wright
sports information director

president

Dr. Tim Summerlin
board chairman

Dr. Bill Franklin
sfsa board president

Lea Nye â&#x20AC;&#x2122;92
SCENE is a publication of the University
Relations Office and is distributed twice
a year free of charge to Schreiner former
students, current students, faculty, parents
and friends. An online version is available
at www.schreiner.edu/scene.
Want to be included on the SCENE mailing
list? Send your name and address to Amy
Armstrong, Schreiner University, CMB 6229,
2100 Memorial Blvd., Kerrville, TX 78028,
or e-mail scene@schreiner.edu.
Change of address? Call the Office of
Advancement at 830-792-7201.
Schreiner University is an independent
liberal arts institution related by covenant
and choice to the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.).
Schreiner University does not discriminate in
admissions, educational programs, extra-curricular
programs or employment against any individual on
the basis of that individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race, color, sex, sexual
orientation, religion, age, disability, veteran status
or ethnic origin. Inquiries/complaints should be
forwarded to the Director of Human Resources, at
830-792-7375.